IT'S 2007!!!!!!!!!!!

and even KFed dressed up!!HAPPY NEW YEARS FROM TSL!
(and KFed, because we care)

MEANWHILE AT THE MOVIES... Cowabunga anyone?

In the early to mid 80's, a little black and white indy came along that I was fortunate enough to discover with the issue 1 2nd printing... it was love at first sight.

Since then, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have exploded and imploded time and again, with a new CGI feature film due next year that might be worth a look...
Here's hoping!

COMIC PICK OF THE WEEK! 12/20

The COMIC PICK OF THE WEEK is my weekly rundown of comics I picked up for the given week, where I pick the best of the bunch. Then I invite everyone to join in and post their favorites for the week in the comments!

Hey look! Another late week, but a big one, with a bunch from the previous week too...

WONDER MAN #1 - I really liked Wonder Man back in the day, the red trenchcoat and glasses era, with his own mini, so I thought I'd check this out. Terrible. My god, could it have any more needless text? I doubt it. Claremont thinks it was excessive! Canceled...
STREET FIGHTER LEGENDS: SAKURA #4 - I'm glad this is over. It was fun at first, but just never really went anywhere, at all. It would've made a good oversized one-shot, not a mini...
NEW AVENGERS ILLUMINATI #1 - What was I thinking? Jim Cheung artwork I guess... How could any book featuring this cast be more than tepid at best. Nice art though! Canceled...
DOCTOR STRANGE: THE OATH #3 - Vaughan's a fabulous writer, and Martin's artwork is fab too, but this is running long. If there weren't just 2 issues left, I'd cancel...
NEW AVENGERS #26 - At least we're out of the useless Civil War one-shots. But this is still a one-shot, little to do with ya know, New Avengers, it was good though. Great, and I mean great, Maleev artwork here!
X-MEN: FIRST CLASS #4 - Another fun issue, mostly...
ZOMBIE (MARVEL MAX) #4 - Great zombie series, a bit anti-climatic. It leads into another plot, that may or may not be produced, and would read better as a continuing series, or graphic novel, not a mini. Incredible Hotz artwork too!
ULTIMATE VISION #1 - I thought ol' she-vision's saga was done? Ya know the whole Ultimate Gah Lak Tus thing? He was defeated. Turns out they've cooked up a Vision sequel... Damn, Peterson's CG amplified artwork is incredible, just amazing to look at! Decent story too, this one was good!
PIRATES OF CONEY ISLAND #3 - Rick Spears is a great comic writer, get schooled if you haven't. And the Vasilis Lolos art, and Cloonan variants make for one pretty package...
BOMB QUEEN II #3 - Great mature readers super powered action!
WALK IN #1 - Anything with a Celia Calle cover has my money! The book inside? It was pretty darn good too. Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics?? Okay.

PICK OF THE WEEK: STORMWATCH POST HUMAN DIVISION #2
I didn't really like the first issue. It was solid, and Doug Mahnke is A-list artistic talent, but I just wasn't too excited about it. Issue 2, as I started in, had me ready to pull the plug, funny thing happened as I read it... it was a damn fine super powered comic book!

Gage drafts an intelligent, street level look at super powered action, that at once is faithful to the original Stormwatch and Wildstorm universe, but also taking it's own distinct path. The book is filled with characterization and application of larger than life ideas, in a real world setting. Taking you inside the "division" and the minds of it's characters. And hell, it even told an awesome one-and-done story!

I've loved just about every version of Stormwatch, and now I can say that about this one too! (and Doug Mahnke is awesome too!)

How about you, what's your pick this week???

I WATCH ANIME: Roundup

Again, looking back at the year as we approach 2007, I realize I haven't talked about anime in a long while...

For the most part, I haven't watched too much, thus the lack of commenting, but I did go through a few viewings I haven't mentioned...

GHOST IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX: 2nd GIG - I've mentioned this many times, best anime series by far, but never talked about the second season finale.

The last few discs were simply spellbinding. As the season wound down to the final few episodes of the 26 part season, everything came together and rewarded you for following along all the intense plotting and developments over the course of the run. Testing the Major and Section 9 to the fullest, and even costing them some casualties.

One of the best television shows going, up there with Battlestar, the best of HBO, Lost and anything else you throw out!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

TRINITY BLOOD - Started airing recently on Cartoon Network, and I've watched the first few episodes. The production of the show is great, and the concept, a near future where the Vatican does battle with vampires who've taken hold of Earth, is solid. The main character, a hero priest from the Vatican who has the ability to transform into a super powerful vampire himself, is otherwise pretty weak to root for. That's made up for with the ever unfolding cast of characters in service with him however.
So far, I'll go ahead with...
RECOMMENDED

BLEACH - The other recent anime to get a start on Cartoon Network was Bleach. The popular Shonen Jump manga series gets translated into anime, and as a fan of the manga, I have to say I was disappointed. I only watched the first couple episodes, but since I haven't read past the first volume of the manga, and the production of the anime was pretty weak, I opted out fast.
NOT RECOMMENDED

JINKI: EXTEND - This was available from Anime Network on-demand, so I watched the first two episodes. Standard anime mecha fair, this time with a young girl pilot dropped into a world of giant robots she'd only ever dreamed of, as they're suddenly her destiny.

Not great, but solid production, and enjoyable enough to check out more (and it is just starting, so perhaps it does so slowly)...
MILDLY RECOMMENDED

GUYVER - The new updated series started recently on Anime Network as well. I watched episode one, and it was okay. Solid production, but the themes and concept are very familiar. I might check out more...
MILDLY RECOMMENDED

I really need to make more time for anime in 2007!

COMIC PICK OF THE WEEK! 12/13

The COMIC PICK OF THE WEEK is my weekly rundown of comics I picked up for the given week, where I pick the best of the bunch. Then I invite everyone to join in and post their favorites for the week in the comments!

Another late week, and one where I didn't get through much new stuff...

GEN13 #3 - It's official, I hate this book. I was going to devote a whole post to how bad this book was, from the god awful fill in artwork (no offense to the fill in artist, I'm sure they were rushed), to the ridiculous, and I mean ridiculous villains, and most of all, because the Gen13 kids run into hiding, at a soup kitchen?!? A SOUP KITCHEN?!? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!!!!!!!! It's issue 3, the series is just starting, and this is the best you can do!?!!?? NO!
Terrible.
No excuse.
Why would anyone ever want to read about a soup kitchen in a comic book, much less an action adventure, super hero, sci-fi comic?!?
The kids beg for food, get free clothes, meet the staff...
WTF!?!?
OUTER ORBIT #1 - I was really looking forward to this one... A fun looking sci-fi concept, with great art, too bad it's really squandered. It just didn't' click for me. The artwork and themes however will keep me around for the next issue...
X-MEN PHOENIX WARSONG #4 - This one's still pretty much a mess. It would've been a fun little series with better art (again, I don't think Kirkham's bad, but just capable of better, and not suited for this)...
ULTIMATE X-MEN #77 - Still a good arc, with Ultimate Cable and X-Force debuting, looking forward to next months conclusion...
UNCANNY X-MEN #481 - Brubaker and Tan's run has been great, but with the 12 issue arc, some issues are lighter than others, this being one of em. Mostly just plot points advancing here, but good...
GIRLS #20 - With Girls winding down towards it's finale, it's maintained an excellent draw throughout. It's good that it's ending soon though, because it is time for the big conclusion, and thankfully, unlike a similar television series built on mysteries, I think we'll get some payoff here...
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #4 - Again, not a huge JLA/DC guy, I like the books and characters when they're drawn outside the DC style, with some style and flair (which they are here), and the writing is good (which it is again). Everyone's complaining about the pacing here, but I don't mind it. Good stuff...
X-23: TARGET X #1 - Wow! I'm blown away by Choi's artwork digitally painted by Oback!! Amazing artwork here. Oh, and the story was fun too...

PICK OF THE WEEK: BLANK Vol.1
Pop Mhan's first OEL manga effort from Tpop is a good one. I've liked his work since Ghost Rider all those years ago, and Spy Boy. He's bounced around since then, changing styles a bit here and there, and quality, but he's in form here. It's standard manga/anime fair - amnesiac teenage spy shows up to protect a young high school girl, from what we don't know. Mhan fleshes out the story and the cast as we make our way through, making the familiar setup and situations sing with his skilled artistic abilities. It's fun, sexy, draws you in, and gets you ready for more. My only complaint is that he was obviously rushed in the last chapter, and the art there gets way too sloppy. Otherwise, it's a great manga read!

How about you, what's your pick this week???

MEANWHILE AT THE MOVIES... more Grindhouse!

LOOK, MORE PICS!
Rose...
in action!
Kurt, looking tuff!

MEANWHILE AT THE MOVIES... 2007 flicks

Probably the coolest movie coming next year, or in a long time, is the Rodriguez/Tarantino Grindhouse double-feature, Planet Terror, and Death Proof!
Along with the newly released posters (though everything released about Death Proof indicates the starring car is a Nova, the poster features a Camaro - which I'm sure is intentional, in a send up of drive-in movie ads kind of way, but I just dig on 67-68 Camaro's!) there's a new trailer up online:
HERE

For the uninitiated, this is Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's send up of 70's exploitation films, and is in fact two full length movies for the price of one. Featuring Rose McGowan, Kurt Russell, Naveen Andrews (of Lost fame), and many many more.

Now, Tarantino's half, Death Proof, was to star Mickey Rourke in the title role, as a hard driving killer on wheels, but he was later replaced by Russell. Though Rourke would've been perfect in the role, I'm a huge Kurt fan, and think he'll bring a whole nother kind of cool to the thing. Can't Wait!

Another anticipated film of 07 has to be Fantastic Four 2, and USA Today just released a shot of the Silver Surfer, who is featured in the sequel.Looks pretty cool, and very true to the comics, cept for the full on eyes, but at least they are not white, and still silver... (and I don't think there's anyone who doesn't think the Surfer is cool, so if they get him right, it's a big step in the right direction)
The first real trailer is coming soon on this.

SUPER REAL NOTES - 12/21/06

As 2006 winds down, 2007 winds up and up for Super Real!

Already officially on the schedule for February, the Super Real Special: SUPER REAL VS THE COMIC BOOK INDUSTRY, needs to head to the printers shortly. So, as I decide on a printer, I'm getting the final pages squared away, things like the inside front cover, back covers, ads, maybe a TSL page, etc etc.

Here's a look at the inside front cover which is not quite final...
I'd originally hoped to do a page on each section's artist, but the stories ran longer, at mostly 6 pages each, so that ate up a bunch of space in a 32 page book. But hey, no one's going to complain about a few extra pages of story and art, the book should run at 29 pages. (Extra length - woo hoo! Bigger is better!)
I say "should" because well, I'm still finishing my section... and I'm not sure if it'll run 5 or 6 pages. We'll see shortly as it'll be done by next week.

Also, I just got the pages from Daniel's section, and he didn't have time to ink them, so I'm looking to get those either inked, or I'll digitally do them myself (resolving that right now)...

It's all coming together nicely though, and looking good for an early February release! The way Diamond works, you don't get the numbers until the month before the book is scheduled, so the first week of January I should see how it did. The idea was the concept, guest artists (featuring name talent), and a new number one would hopefully draw in some more eyes... we'll see! But I'm trying to have it ready to print once I get the PO from Diamond...

ISSUE NUMBER FOUR

As I've mentioned, the next issue of the series is in the pipeline too. With it being solicited in next month's Previews (February, January's was the one that came out yesterday) for April release. I'm shooting for a quasi bi-monthly schedule in 07.

I say quasi, because there's another potential stealth project to follow number 4 in June... but it's still a bit soon to reveal that. However, it is very exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The plan would then be to follow that with number 5 in August, and so on...


Plus there's that other top secret thing I'm working on for April...
I guess it's no longer secret, it's official, but I'll wait till I have something more developed to reveal it. It'll be my first work outside of Super Real, published by someone else, and it's a very cool project! :D

So, lots of stuff happening in 2007, that I'm cookin up now!

STAY TUNED,
jason

SUPER REAL NOTES - 12/19/06

The other day I shared the work in progress for the regular cover to the upcoming fourth issue, so today I thought I'd share the artwork for the variant cover...

This is artwork by Dennis Budd who recently released a cool little book Model Operandi (and has some new top secret project in the works).
The colors are by me.

Super Real issue 4 will be in the February Previews catalog for books shipping in April 2007.
As with the last couple issues, there will be a regular cover by me, and a 1 in 4 variant that's featured as a poster and interview with the creator in every copy of the book.

Hope you like it!

COMIC PICK OF THE WEEK! 12/6

The COMIC PICK OF THE WEEK is my weekly rundown of comics I picked up for the given week, where I pick the best of the bunch. Then I invite everyone to join in and post their favorites for the week in the comments!

This week, I didn't get through many of the week's new books as I was traveling, and therefore caught up on a trade, manga, and run of issues. I also hit a comic shop in Old Town Sacramento, No Boundries Comics, and picked up a back issue and some local books I'll be taking a quick look at...

First, I'd like to start with the big 2 releases for the week I did make time for...

NEW UNIVERSAL #1 - Warren Ellis reimagining Marvel's aborted New Universe from the mid/late 80's? Yes please! Salvador Larroca turns in an evolved style here as well, and I find myself really liking the book. It's all setup though, and when that's done right, it makes for great comics. The trick is keeping that momentum... We'll see.
SPIDER-MAN REIGN #1 - This book is on most people's radars because it's a potential future epic for Spider-Man, in the style of Batman the Dark Knight. I was keen to grab it cause it features the return of one of the industries best artists, Kaare Andrews! Well, turns out it's more than in the vein of Dark Knight, it is Spider-Man Dark Knight, and Kaare Andrews isn't doing the art, Kaare Andrews by way of Frank Miller is what we have too. Wow. Whether the book is good, or bad, it's kind of hard to care when it's such a blatant homage/rip-off of Dark Knight... I mean, something inspired by it fine, but this seems wayyyyyy too derivative.
X-MEN #193 - This is the conclusion of the first Mike Carey Chris Bachalo arc (from the previous week)... Sorry but, snooze...
JEREMIAH HARM #1 - Picked this up in the back issue 50% off bin at the Sacramento comic shop cause I'd been looking to try it as I'd heard and seen good things. The art is great, but the story is a bit confusing, and the main character is more then a little lame. I'm much more into the villains he's chaising than I am Mr. Harm...
APOCRYPHA #1 - This was one of the books by a local creator I picked up in Sacramento. Features some decent black and white artwork in a mature story I'm not sure I get the point of yet. It's billed as six issues, and I hope they work them all out. I think there's enough talent there to keep pursuing further, but it's not ready for prime time...
SCOTT PILGRIM #3 - Scott Pilgrim, and it's not the pick of the week?!? Hey, maybe if I'd read this when it came out, cause it is of course great, but as you'll see, it was a tough week, with 3 really great things to choose from. Any way, another great installment of the Pilgrim storyline. Things are perhaps settling into a bit more familiar territory here, so some of the magic is curbed. It is a great and highly recommended book though...
BLAME! Volume 1 - Blame! is already 6 volumes in from Tokyopop, and I can't believe I haven't had a chance to read these yet... I wasn't too worried about investing in that many volumes of a book I'd yet to read though, because after seeing Tsutomu Nihei's Wolverine Snikt, I knew he was a creator I'd absolutely love to see the works that inspired that Marvel mini of. Volume 1 did not let down. It's immersive and engrossing. Just like Snikt, the protagonist wanders through a massive future architecture, that's so well realized you can't help but be thrust into their world and therefore engaged with it. There were a couple scenes where I utterly could not follow what transpired without repeated viewings, but other than that the book is masterful in it's simplicity. Turns out Nihei was an architecture student, and it shows, as constructs we traverse are richly conceived and depicted, and that's what really sells the concept. Can't wait to read the next volume!

So what was so good that I had to not pick two books I loved?!?
PICK OF THE WEEK: ASTONISHING X-MEN #13-18

Since the second run of Joss Whedon and John Cassaday had reached it's halfway point recently, I thought it'd be a good time to get caught up there. I don't love everything Whedon does, Firefly and Fray, those are some of my favorite works in recent years, Buffy and Angel, not so much. But man, I love Whedon on the X-Men. His trademark scripting is showcased of course, but he also really gets the X-Men and the characters he's using, and the plotting is also phenomenal. Oftentimes, big time comic writers will impress with openings of arcs, or ideas, but falter in climax or execution (cough**Mark Millar**cough), but not Joss. He writes a tight story from start to finish, and this latest arc is by far his best yet.

Do I even need to mention the artwork of John Cassaday and colorist Laura Martin?!!

Great stuff, great X-Men, great comics!!

How about you, what's your pick this week???

TALES FROM NETFLIX - Fall roundup

I started thinking it was time to look at some "best of the year" lists, and realized I hadn't turned in a DVD pick in quite some time. I know there've been at least a couple of odd picks to throw out, so thought I'd look back over the last couple months rental activity and highlight some of those...

First up...
THE DOOM GENERATION (1995) - This one made Chris Gore's list of quick picks recently on Attack of the Show's DVDuesday, and I'd never seen it. Wow. It's well done, and quite an experience, but not one I'd recommend, at least without extreme caution. Doom Generation is an exercise in sex and violence. Literally. That's all the movie's about. You get one scene of sex, followed by violence, and then repeat till finished. And both escalate as we go. It's worth a watch if you're into demented films that catalog characters spiraling into hell, for instance Natural Born Killers comes to mind, but that's practically PG (or at least cartoonish) compared to what we get here. Also, there's some interesting casting, and I like how at one point a broader subplot that could carry the film is introduced, and then never returns. And the soundtrack, late 80's industrial to early 90's indy/alternative, is superb. But wow, this is in your face!

CLERKS 2 - Okay, this doesn't really qualify as a non-mainstream pick, but it definitely maintains the indy spirit of the original 1994 classic it follows. Man was I impressed by this movie. Kevin Smith is generally great, but can often times miss, and by wide margins. Here he's in his best form since Clerks, or Chasing Amy. Showcasing his gift for dialogue, with equal turns at glorifying and skewering geek culture, but also fleshing out real life characters with heart. Awesome movie. Loved it!

WHO KILLED BAMBI (2004) - This was a French thriller that was a Netflix recommendation based on giving the recent French horror film Calvaire high marks. Turns out it also features the star of that film, Laurent Lucas, this time taking a turn as the villain. It's quiet, slow, and a little long, but it's expertly directed and acted (Lucas again commands any scene he's in, and is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors), and holds your interest throughout.
Good stuff.

MINI'S FIRST TIME - This one was a DVD pick from Richard Roeper on Ebert and Roeper, as a film everyone missed, but was actually quite good. I agree. This is one of those simple black comedies, where the central character walks you through a complex series of events in their life. In this case, a young woman in Beverly Hills/LA, with a potent cocktail of neglectful parents and easy access to any number of harmful distractions. A great cast including Carrie-Anne Moss, Alec Baldwin (who's great, and everywhere these days), Luke Wilson, and Jeff Goldblum.

THE PUFFY CHAIR (2005) - An indy gem, featuring an impressive effort from the brothers who wrote, direct, and also star in the film (one directs, one acts). This is a road trip, that's also an intimate look at the ugly, funny, and confusing struggles of a couple that may or may not last the journey. Along the way we're treated to a quirky brother turned third wheel, and complications to the plot. It's simple, but straightforward, endearing, and true to life. Overall, it's great.

EDMOND (2005) - This was a recommendation on a DVD review column, for an adaptation of a David Mamet play featuring a bit of a cast in something similar to, but perhaps truer and darker than, the 90's business-man-goes-postal-film Falling Down. An interesting concept to return to, so I thought I'd check it out. Glad I did. It is similar to that setup, but instead of Michael Douglas and his short sleeved shirt and tie, you get William H Macy stepping out on his wife after a break up, just looking for female contact, but only if the price is right. He's on edge, and quickly falls off. It comes off like a play on morality, set to film, examining the human condition, which it is, but it does it well, and that's in no small part because of Macy's performance the whole thing hangs on. He's a great actor. A nice little trip into madness, where we the viewer gets to exercise some demons, but only the character has to pay the price.

And finally...
MASTERS OF HORROR: IMPRINT - So we started the list with one of the most fucked up films I've seen in a long time, and we'll end it with another. For those who don't have Showtime, last year they started a new series of short films in the horror genre, directed by some classic horror film directors. Season 2 is in full swing now (and is way down in quality from season 1), but this DVD features the one episode from season 1 that was never shown. And it was never shown for good reason. It's from Japanese director Takashi Miike, most famous (or infamous) for his darkly twisted sado masochist Yakuza film Ichi the Killer. Miike turns in another brutally dark work here, with some of the most disturbing imagery you'll find in film. He's also a creative genius, so if you can take the darkness, it's worth the reward. This story, based on a Japanese horror novel and set in a modern contemporary influenced version of 19th century Japan, is seriously fucked up, but it's also a good one, told well, and visually stunning (figuratively and literally). Miike is one of the best directors working today, with a style and tone all his own.

Whew!!
That's quite a list of some disturbing, and challenging films.
But hey, movies shouldn't just be an escape from reality, but also a reflection on it, or journery into areas we don't ourselves tred.
At least, I like my movies to sometimes take me places I'd otherwise not go, and this list definitely does that - from the hillarious man-on-beast action of Clerks 2, to the head popping revelations of Imprint - you're in for one crazy ride on this installment of Tales From Netflix (as always)!!

Check out previous Tales From Netflix:
Feast
Calvaire
Sars Wars
House of 9
2001 Maniacs

SUPER REAL NOTES - 12/07/06

Hey folks,

Early 2007 is shaping up to be a busy time for me...
As you know, the first ever Super Real Special hits comic shops in February.
Well, today I just submitted issue 4 to Diamond for the February Previews for products shipping in April (I'm tentatively working towards a bi-monthly schedule of sorts for next year, more details on that soon).
Also, I just confirmed I'll be taking part in my first work outside Super Real, and first work published by someone else! I don't want to say anything at this point, because things are still a bit early, but I'll have more info soon. It's going to be really cool, and out in around April as well.
If that weren't enough, I'm firming up my early 07 convention schedule, and will be again doing the west coast shuffle through March and April...
I've confirmed an artist alley space at Wondercon in San Francisco on 3/2-3/4, which should be along with my bud Randy Kintz from the local area (if he gets his act together and turns in his app ;).
I'm also going to be arranging an artist alley space at Wizard World LA on 3/16-3/18, which will hopefully be alongside my good friend Javier Hernandez (I hope)!
And then, I've already submitted my application for Emerald City Comicon in Seattle on 3/31-4/1.
Hope to see some friendly faces!!

Also, while arranging space at Wondercon I was told that San Diego Comic Con is already completely sold out... as of like ages ago. Although, the exhibits manager wasn't in, so I'm hoping I can talk to him next week and get some better news... grrrrrrrrr
Stupid shows selling out way too early... first New York Comicon, now this!!

Anyway, I've been posting on DeviantArt lately, and haven't shared here, so thought I'd add a link for that as well.
I just recently put up the preliminary cover art for issue 4 over there, you can check out, as well as doing some daily sketches recently of random comic characters, and sharing the crude sketches for the villains from the Super Real Special... CHECK IT OUT MAN!!!!

Super Real 4 cover A you pick by *jasinmartin on deviantART

That should do it for now,
STAY TUNED
jason

COMIC PICK OF THE WEEK! 11/29

Time once again for the COMIC PICK OF THE WEEK, a weekly rundown of my new comics, where I pick the best of the bunch. Then everyone is invited to join in and post their favorites for the week in the comments!

This was a great week.

THE IMMORTAL IRON FIST #1 - Brubaker and Fraction split writing duties, Brubaker generally leaves me cold (except on Uncanny X-Men), and Fraction is a hoot. They're joined by David Aja, who's both photo realistic, but stylish... nice. The book though is solid, but just okay.
OUTLAW SCORN #1 - This one was a fun looking sci-fi romp from Arcana, with funky chunky art. It's okay, a bit hard to follow, and not too engaging, with a lot of that probably coming from the overdone production. Loud colors, crazy layouts, over active lettering, you name it. I'll check out another issue though...
NEXTWAVE #10 - This was an odd issue for the series, with even less happening than usual, as we get a presumably longer arc to climax the series with number 12. Still really enjoy it, just not shouting from any rooftops here...
DEAD SONJA #1 - Note to self, do a direct parody of a popular book... my local shop had multiple shelf copies of this (I assume since Red Sonja is a big seller). How often does a shop stock an indy for the shelf, let alone in quantity? Any way, thumbed through it and it looked readable, thanks to some unique slightly intriguing art, and ya know sexy lead zombie theme... that's hitting a lot of good notes. It was fun. Dumb fun sure, mostly, but an entertaining oversized black and white indy book done pretty well. I especially like the style and potential of third contributing artist Remy Mokhtar!
AVENGERS NEXT #2 - Another one I picked up on a whim. I like new spins on classic superheroes, and the Ringo cover grabbed my attention. Turns out it's a fun, classic superhero/Avengers yarn, told with new/different versions of Marvel icons, sort of Mangaverse without the manga style. I liked it.
DEATHBLOW #2 - So far, this is my favorite Wildstorm relaunch book. Another solid issue, with great art from D'Anda!
ZOMBIE #3 - Three issues in, and we still haven't seen anything new with the zombie storytelling, but it's a good story built around the zombies, and I love Kyle Hotz's art!! Can't wait for the finale...

PICK OF THE WEEK: SPIDER-MAN FAMILY

What can I say, I love the Mangaverse approach on the Marvel U, and this massive book features an extra-length Spider-Clan story by Cebulski and Skottie Young. Skottie had a cool style when I first saw him fill in for then friend (and personal newcoming fave of mine) Kaare Andrews on an X-Men Unlimited issue. Since then he's continually developed and improved his style, and I just love it. The art here is awesome, with incredible colors making it sing. It was a fun story too! (But I won't even read the mostly reprints in the rest of the book) :)

How about you, what's your pick this week???

IN CASE U MISSED IT: Devil's DO digital

Over on Newsarama.com this AM there was a piece on Josh Blaylock, publisher of Devil's Due Publishing, and his new online comics initiative PullboxOnline.com

Pullbox is a new site for downloadable comics content, including many Devil's Due titles, but which is also open to the entire spectrum of comic books, with new content being actively sought out. Pullbox will focus initially on offering full comics in PDF or CBR format, available for download at an average price of .99 cents per title.

Other similar sites have already sprung up, DriveThruComics.com launched not long ago, as well as another recent launch with Wowio.com offering comics content as well. So, Pullboxonline is not the first of it's kind, but it is in on the ground floor, and also, from my perceptions of the three recent launches, Pullbox has the most going for it. Both in terms of design, and more importantly price point.

I honestly can't see digital comics being offered at anything more than a dollar each to stand a chance against print in today's market. Digital content is significantly cheaper to produce, and therefore, like it or not, the future of comics (as I've gone on about time and again here), but right now, with the existing fanbase favoring physical copies to hold in hand, any serious online offering should be positioned at a significant discount to print to have a serious shot at capturing an audience. With the average comic priced at around $3 each, can you tell me, if you could get any and all books in digital form, 3 to 1 in terms of price, you wouldn't consider changing your stance on print versus digital? Or at least consider trying some digital content, or suplement part of your reading with it?

And of course, the internet marketplace is a boon for publishers, who've struggled for decades to regain an outlet into the mainstream market that was lost with the move from newsstands to comic shops in the 80's.

All of the big picture implications of digital on the comic industry aside, it'll be interesting to see how, if at all, PullboxOnline develops. If they'll be able to bring in a big enough range of content, and more importantly, if they'll find enough users to keep it afloat...

I know I'm currently looking for an opportunity to get Super Real back on the web/downloadable, so I'll be taking a closer look at them to see if perhaps this is a good fit for me.

SUPER REAL NOTES - 12/03/06

Wow, it's already December!!
Things are progressing nicely on the Super Real Special, and issue number 4.
I did another tweak on the main cover for the special (I just can't help myself), but I think it finally completes that (although I've thought that a couple times before, this time I really do)!!

What do you think?

I did more with the background, and tilted the image a bit to make it more dynamic and visually exciting. I'm diggin it!

I also just got the originals from Jim Mahfood for his section in the special, all six pages of them, via the post. I'd actually forgotten all about them, so it was a nice surprise. As much as I like the art and want to keep it (it's so awesome!), I could really use some cash, so I'm tempted to try and sell them. Being that the books not even out yet, I doubt there's a really big market for them though. Which is for the best. I'd love to get some extra cash some day soon and start framing all the original artwork I get from others for the book!

I've been working this weekend on the cover for issue 4, as I need to decide if I'll solicit it for April 07 by this week (the Diamond April shipping Previews submission cut off is Thursday). I'd tentatively planned a more aggressive schedule for next year, essentially bi-monthly, but I don't want to get behind like I did this year again... plus, even with an April solicit, there's still at least a 6 month gap between issues 3 and 4 (but there would only be 2 months between the special and number 4).
We'll see.

This morning when I got into my email, I had a surprise bunch of emails from an artist submitting works... I don't request submissions, but still occasionally get them (and always enjoy looking at them), usually from foreign lands. This time I think the artist, Richard Ramirez, is from Puerto Rico (or somewhere in Central America perhaps...)

Since his style doesn't really suit anything I do, I thought I'd share a couple works here ;)

He seems to like drawing sharks and the sea (check out his Namor)!!
Anyone interested in seeing more of his work, just comment me and I'll get you his email. :)

Also, Super Real got the review treatment this week on IndyComicReview.com, where the four reviewers each gave their thoughts on issue 3. While issues 1 and 2 scored some of the highest grades on the site, issue 3 was rated at 3 and 1/4 stars, with the biggest complaint being the frequency of release (one of the better aspects to be criticized on, and one I'm working to remedy).

Check out the full review HERE

That's all for now, except to say, Clerks II was awesome!!
STAY TUNED,
jason